Woman hurt struggling with intruder in Palo Alto

PALO ALTO -- An intruder broke into a Palo Alto apartment early Thursday morning and startled a woman in her 20s who was asleep in her bedroom, Palo Alto police said.

The male suspect forced open the front door of the apartment in the 100 block of Hawthorne Avenue around 2:20 a.m., police said.

The woman screamed when she realized someone was in her bedroom, and after a brief struggle, the intruder fled on foot. The woman suffered a bruised wrist, but was otherwise uninjured, police said.

Police said it appears the intruder intended to sexually assault the resident, according to police.

The woman called 911, and officers began a search for the suspect with a K-9 unit from the Mountain View Police Department.

As of 9:30 a.m., the suspect had not been found, police said.

The suspect was only described as a male with an average build wearing a dark hooded jacket or sweatshirt and dark pants, according to police.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Palo Alto Police Department's 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voicemail to (650) 383-8984.